Dispensing container



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DISPENSING CNTAINER Filed June 16, 1941 IIIHIIHHIIII 2:; ,LCD

Patented June 9, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE' DISPENSING CONTAINERWilliam F. Punte, Syracuse, N. Y., assignor to Continental Can Company,Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application June 16,1941, Serial No. 398,350

3 Claims,

The present invention relates to new and useful improvements indispensing containers, and more particularly to improvements in adispensing container having a siiter top for dispensing powder or thelike.

According to the present invention, the container includes a bodyportion having ends secured thereto and one of the ends is provided witha reduced upstanding neck portion having an open outer end. A sifter topassembly includes an inner cap and an outer cap which are securedtogether for relative rotation. The inner cap is adapted to fit over andfrictionally engage the neck portion on the container and is providedwith sifting openings. The outer cap is also provided with siftingopenings which are adapted to be brought into and out of register withthe sifting openings in the inner cap upon relative rotation between thecaps.

An object of the present invention is to provide a container of theabove type wherein the inner and outer caps are provided withcooperating projections shaped to facilitate assembly of the caps andserving to limit relative movement therebetween, and wherein theprojections are positioned so that in one extreme contacting position,the dispensing openings will be in register, and in another extremecontact position, the dispensing openings will be out of register.

A further object of the invention is to provide a container of the abovetype wherein the side edges of the projections provide a positive stopafter the inner and outer caps are assembled, and wherein theprojections are otherwise shaped so that only pointed or rounded edgescan come in contact with one another during assembling of the inner andouter caps so as to eliminate possible engagement between flat surfacesduring assembling of the caps and to thus obviate the necessity ofexactly positioning the caps relative to one another before they areassembled.

The above and other objects of the invention will in part be obvious andwill be hereinafter more fully pointed out.

In the accompanying drawing:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary side elevation showing the container assembledwith the sifter top.

Figure 2 is a top end view of Figurel, partly in section, and showingthe dispensing openings in register for permitting dispensing of thecontents of the container.

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary side View, with the closure insection, showing the position of the parts with the dispensing openingsin register.

Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary top end view, similar to Figure 2,but showing the dispensing openings out of register and the relativeposition of the inner and outer caps.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary side View, partly in section, showing a modiedform of neck portion and a modified form of projection on the outer cap.

Referring more in detail to the accompanying drawing, and particularlyto Figures 1 through 4, the container is illustrated as including acylindrical body portion I0 which has an end II secured thereto bya'seam I2'. The container is also provided with a bottom end (not shown)which may be secured thereto in any suitable manner. The top end I I isin the form of an annulus providing a central opening and, asillustrated in Figure 3, a neck portion I3 is separately securedthereto. The neck portion is in the form of an upstanding sleeve and thebottom edge' thereof is turned outwardly as at I4 to provide aperipheral flange. Immediately above the flange I4, the neck portion isbent outwardly upon itself to provide a peripheral flange portion I5.The adjacent inner peripheral edge of the end II is secured between theflange portions I4, I5. The upper free end of the neck portion I3 isturned slightly inwardly, as at I6 and provides a central opening I'Itherethrough.

',Ijhe sifter top assembly includes an inner cap memberv I8 and an outercap member I9 which are assembled as a unit before being applied to theneck portion of the container. The inner cap member I8 has a dependingskirt portion 20, the bottom edge of which is turned outwardly toprovide an outward peripheral bead 2|. The skirt portion ZI] merges intoan inwardly inclined portion 22 which ts over the inturned edge I6 ofth-e neck portion I3 and merges into a top closing wall 23. The closingwall 23 is provided with a central depressed portion 24 and with siftingopenings 25 therearound.

'Ihe outer cap member I9 is provided with a top closing wall portion 26and with sifting openings 21 which are spaced symmetrically with respectto the sifting openings 25 on the inner cap member. The peripheral edgeof the top closing portion 2liA is turned downwardly, as at Y28, tooverlie the inclined portion 22 on the inner cap member. The outer capalso includes a depending skirt portion 29 spaced outwardly from theinner skirt portion 2l) and having the bottom edge thereof shaped toconform to and underlie the bead 2|, as at 30. Thus, the inner and outervcaps are secured together for relative rotating movement. The outer capis also provided with a knurled portion 3| to facilitate relativerotation thereof.

The inner cap member I8 is illustrated as being provided with spacedoutwardly extending circular projections 32. As shown in Figure 3, theouter cap member I9 is provided with inwardly extending projections 33which are vertically or longitudinally elongated and which are providedwith round upper and lower ends 34. The vertical or longitudinallydisposed side edges 35 are substantially straight. Before the inner orouter cap members are secured together by curling or spinning theportion 30 on the outer cap around the bead 2| on the inner cap, it is,of course, necessary to assemble the two cap members by relative axialmovement toward one another. By reason of the circular projections 32 onthe inner skirt 20, and the round ends 34 of the projections 33 on theouter skirt 29, it will be seen that no horizontal flat surface will bepresented between the projections during assembling of the inner andouter cap members. Thus, if the projections 33 should be in alignmentwith the projections 32 during assembling of the inner and outer capmembers, it will be seen that the rounded edges 34 of the projections 33will Contact with the circular surface of the projections 32 so thatinward movement of the two cap members will cause relative rotationtherebetween and permit passage of the projections past one another tothe position shown in Figure 3. The assembling of the inner and outercaps is thus greatly facilitated in that the cap members do not have tobe arranged in a predetermined position before assembling thereof. Afterassembling of the inner and outer cap members, it will be seen that theside edges 35 of the projections 33 present vertical edges to theprojections 32 so that a positive stop is provided in order to limitrelative rotation between the inner and outer cap members.

Referring to Figure of the accompanying drawing, the neck portion |3a isformed integral with the end Ila and is not separately secured thereto,as shown in Figure 3. With this form of container, the neck portion l3amay be drawn from the can end la. In the form of the invention shown inFigure 5, there is also provided a modified form of projection 33a onthe skirt portion 29a of the outer cap member Isa. Thus, the inwardlyextending projection 33a, is provided with a gradually tapered side edge35a and With a pointed bottom end 34a.. The circular projection 32 onthe inner skirt portion 20 is the same as that shown in Figure 3. Priorto curling of the portion 33a around the bead 2| and during assemblingof the inner and outer cap members, it will be seen that any engagementbetween the circular projections 32 and the downwardly pointedprojections 33a will eliminate any possibility of engagement betweenhorizontal flat edges so as to facilitate assembling of the cap membersin the manner pointed out above, that is, without the necessity ofarranging the cap members in a predetermined position prior to axialmovement thereof toward one another.

When the sifter top has been assembled, Vthe combined assembly is fittedover the neck portion on the container with the inner surface of theinner skirt portion 2! frictionally engaging the outer surface of theneck portion. The inclined peripheral edge portion 22 of the inner capmember also engages the inwardly directed free end of the inner neckportion and there is provided a relatively tight friction fit betweenthe inner cap member and the neck portion. The curled portion at thebottom of the outer skirt engages the bead 2l on the inner skirt inorder to connect the inner and outer cap members and permit movement ofthe outer cap member relative to the inner cap member. The dispensingopenings through the inner capl member are positioned substantiallyalong the center lines of the central projections 32 but the dispensingopenings 21, or 21a. through the outer cap member are offset withrespect to the center lines of the inward projections 33 or 33a, asparticularly shown in Figure 4. In the position of the Figures 2 and 3,the dispensing openings in the inner and outer cap members are inregister so as to permit dispensing of the contents of the container. Inthis position of the cap members, the projections 32 are in engagementwith one edge of the projections 33 on the outer cap member. When it isdesired to close the container, the outer cap member is shifted to theposition shown in Figure 4 wherein the projections 32 have been shiftedto engage the opposed edge of an adjacent projection 33 in whichposition, the dispensing openings are out of register and the containersealed.

From the foregoing description, it will be seen that the presentinvention provides a dispensing container having a preassembled siftertop which includes inner and outer relatively rotatable cap members. Inassembling the inner and outer cap members, the projections which limitrelative rotation between the cap members, are shaped so as to enablethe cap members to be assembled by relative axial movement toward oneanother without the necessity of arranging the cap members in apredetermined position. Thus, if the projections should come inv contactwith one another during assembling of the inner and outer cap members,these projections will present rounded surfaces so that the same willpass one another during the application of axial forces thereto. Inother words, if the projections come in contact with one another, theseprojections are shapedto present inclined surfaces with respect to thehorizontal so as to facilitate the passage of the projections by oneanother. After thus assembling the cap members, the bottom edge of theskirt of the outer cap member is shaped to engage an outward bead on theskirt of the inner cap member so as to secure the cap members togetherfor relative rotation. It is to be also noted that the projections,while facilitating assembly of the cap members, also presents at leastone vertical straight edge so as to provide a positive stop at thelimits of relative rotation between the cap members. It is, of course,obvious that the elongated projections may be placed on the inner capmember and the circular projections may be placed on the outer capmember and similarly, other arrangements of these projections may bemade.

It is to be clearly understood that minor changes in the details ofconstructionl and arrangement of parts may be made Without departingfrom the scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A sifter top adapted to be connected to a container for controllingdispensing of the contents thereof, and comprising an inner cap memberhaving an outer closing wall provided with dispensing openings andhaving a depending skirt portion, an outer cap member having an outerclosing wall provided with dispensing openings epesses and having adepending skirt portion overlying and spaced from the skirt portion onsaid inner cap member, means connecting said skirt portions for joiningthe said Cap members for relative rotation whereby to permit thedispensing openings to be brought into and out of register forcontrolling the dispensing of the contents of the container, the skirtportion of said inner cap member having outwardly extending spacedcircular projections, the skirt portion on said outer cap member havinginwardly extending spaced projections adapted to cooperate with theprojections on the inner skirt portion for limiting relative movementbetween the said cap members, and the projections on the outer skirtportion being shaped to present substantially straight vertical edgesfor engagement with the other projections during rotation of theassembled cap members and being also shaped to present rounded bottomedges whereby to facilitate passage of the projections past one anotherduring assembly of the cap members without predetermined rotarypositioning thereof.

2. A sifter top adapted to be connected to a container for controllingdispensing of the contents thereof, and comprising an inner cap memberhaving an outer closing wall provided with dispensing openings andhaving a depending skirt portion, an outer cap member having an outerclosing wall provided with dispensing openings and having a dependingskirt portion overlying and spaced from the skirt portion on said innercap member, means connecting said skirt portions for joining the saidcap members for relative rotation whereby to permit the dispensingopenings to be brought into and out of register for controlling thedispensing of the contents of the container, the skirt portion of saidinner cap member having outwardly extending spaced circular projections,the skirt portion on said outer cap member having inwardly extendingspaced projections adapted to cooperate with the projections on theinner skirt portion for limiting relative movement between the said capmembers, and the projections on the outer portion being shaped topresent substantially vertical edges for engagement with the otherprojections during rotation of the assembled cap members and being alsoshaped to present downwardly pointed ends whereby to facilitate passageof the projections past one another during assembly of the cap memberswithout predetermined rotary positioning thereof.

3. A sifter top adapted to be connected to a container for controllingdispensing of the contents thereof, and comprising an inner cap memberhaving an outer closing wall provided with dispensing openings andhaving a depending skirt portion, an outer cap member having an outerclosing wall provided with dispensing openings and having a dependingskirt portion overlying the skirt portion of said inner cap member, saiddispensing openings being adapted to be brought into and out of registerupon relative movement between the said cap members whereby to controldispensing of the contents of the container, and spaced cooperatingprojections on the skirt portion of each cap member for limitingrelative movement between the said cap members in controlling therelative position of the dispensing openings, the projections on atleast one of said skirt portions having substantially straight verticaledges for engagement with the other projections during relative movementof the assembled cap members for controlling dispensing of the contentsand the ends of the projections on both of said skirt portions beingshaped to permit only substantially point to point contact therebetweenduring axial assembling movement of the cap members toward one anotherwhereby to facilitate axial passage of the projections past one anotherduring assembling without predetermined positioning thereof.

WILLIAM F. PUNTE.

